Private multi-day tour · Multi-day from Tokyo
From Tokyo: 4-Day Okuizumo Tatara Iron Customizable Tour
Travel deep into the Okuizumo mountains, where tatara furnaces still make the tamahagane steel for Japanese swords, then see the Adachi Museum garden.
Private · your group only◆4 days◆Up to 6 guests◆Pickup included
Road-day snapshot
This is your private tour, so the route is flexible: tell us if you want to skip a stop, stay longer somewhere or add a place nearby.
The experience
A private journey, thoughtfully paced
Okuizumo, in the mountains of Shimane, has made iron for over 1,000 years. Craftsmen burned charcoal and iron sand in clay furnaces called tatara for three days and nights. The steel that came out, tamahagane, is the steel of the Japanese sword. Today Okuizumo is the only place where this furnace still runs, a few days each winter, to supply sword smiths.
The furnace is not open to visitors, but at the Okuizumo Tatara and Sword Museum you see a full model of a tatara, the tools, the steel and finished swords. On some days a sword smith gives a forging demonstration. Entry is included.
We walk through the satoyama landscape of rice terraces, which were made where mountains were cut away for iron sand. In Yasugi we visit Kanayago Shrine, the shrine of the iron god, worshipped by iron workers across Japan.
Last, we visit the Adachi Museum of Art. Its large Japanese garden has been ranked the best in Japan for many years in a row. Entry is included.
Okuizumo is about 900 km from Tokyo, so Day 1 and Day 4 are long driving days. You book your own hotels in Okuizumo and Yasugi.
This is a private tour. Only your group. One family or group of 1 to 6 people per van, never shared with strangers. Your driver-guide speaks English, and also Hindi and Urdu.
If the Okuizumo Tatara and Sword Museum is closed or cancelled on your date, you can take a full refund of your booking, guaranteed. If you prefer, we can instead visit the Wako Museum of tatara iron in Yasugi and walk more of the Okuizumo satoyama.
DAY 1 Early hotel pickup in Tokyo and the long drive west to Okuizumo.
DAY 2 Okuizumo Tatara and Sword Museum and a walk in the rice terrace satoyama.
DAY 3 Kanayago Shrine and the Adachi Museum of Art garden, then start the drive east.
DAY 4 Continue the drive and the drive back to your Tokyo hotel.
Choose with confidence
Is this the right journey for your group?
Excellent fit if
- Learn how tamahagane sword steel is made at the tatara museum
- See a full model of a tatara iron furnace and finished swords
- Walk rice terraces shaped by centuries of iron sand mining
- Visit Kanayago Shrine, home of the god of iron
- See the famous garden of the Adachi Museum of Art
Said plainly
The museum is closed on Mondays. Sword smith demonstrations are held only on set days. The real tatara furnace runs only a few days each winter and is not open to visitors. Day 1 and Day 4 are very long driving days of about 11 hours with rest stops. If the Okuizumo Tatara and Sword Museum is closed or cancelled on your date, you can take a full refund of your booking, guaranteed. If you prefer, we can instead visit the Wako Museum of tatara iron in Yasugi and walk more of the Okuizumo satoyama. Dietary needs can be added in the booking form.
Your day
Suggested itinerary
Times are approximate. Your driver-guide adjusts the order for traffic, weather, opening hours and the best light.
Learn how tamahagane sword steel is made at the tatara museum
See a full model of a tatara iron furnace and finished swords
Walk rice terraces shaped by centuries of iron sand mining
Visit Kanayago Shrine, home of the god of iron
See the famous garden of the Adachi Museum of Art
What is covered
What you see is what you pay
Ours — included
- Private van and English-speaking driver-guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in central Tokyo
- All parking, fuel and road tolls
- Entry to the Okuizumo Tatara and Sword Museum
- Entry to the Adachi Museum of Art
Yours — paid on the day
- Hotel accommodation (you book your own hotel in Okuizumo and Yasugi)
- Meals and drinks unless listed as included
- Gratuities, which are never expected in Japan
- Optional souvenirs and sword goods
Good to know
Before you book
Languages
English, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi
Pickup
Pickup and drop-off at your Tokyo hotel or accommodation (23 wards).
Group and vehicle
Private for up to 6 guests. Enter adults, children, infants and child seats separately at booking.
Dietary and mobility needs
Halal, vegetarian, allergy, walking or other practical requests go in your booking notes and are planned before the day.
Questions
Frequently asked
Can we change the route on the day?
Yes. It is a private tour in our own van, so your driver-guide can skip, extend or add stops where time allows.
Is the price per person?
No. The price is for your whole private group of up to 6 people, including the van, fuel, tolls, parking and your driver-guide.
What is the cancellation policy?
Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for an automatic full refund to the original payment method. Within 24 hours, contact us directly so we can help. If a typhoon or official weather warning stops the trip, we offer a new date or a full refund. For a GetYourGuide booking, the terms shown on that booking apply.
Somewhere else in mind?
Any destination in Japan
If this route is not exactly what you need, tell us the destination, dates and group. We confirm the plan and the exact price before any payment is taken.
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From¥316,000
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